Dear Tony: American Food in Shanghai

Dear Tony.

When you travel broadly, it becomes hard to really define American food. You eat sushi and ramen in Japan, pizza in Italy, tacos in Mexico, and Chinese food in China [it’s just food here]. And you’re sort of left with the collective parking lots that are Starbucks, McDonalds, and Subway holding the international market.

But while America has a great collection of fusion foods, and unique takes on classics [and some weird-ass state fair foods. Looking at you, fried fruit punch.]

There is nothing like American Barbecue. And I don’t mean you and your friends on 4th of July throwing frozen burgers and hotdogs on a grill, while cracking beers and shooting fireworks. That’s dope, and it’s American as hell, but it is not a Barb-B-Que.

I’m talking ribs, pulled pork, sausages, shoulder, short rib, brisket. Smoked low and slow for half a day. Like 8 to 15 hours of coals and embers.

Barbecue requires time, patience, devotion, skill, and eating a crap-ton of it to know what you’re doing.

BBQ is uniquely American; the world doesn’t really have the same way of preparing meat. Sure, China has Pai-giu; slow cooked pork shoulder in a soy base. And slow cooking isn’t only in the United States. Carnitas in Mexico for another.

But if you want a 15 hour USDA Prime smoked brisket tip, that plays like an accordion, smells good enough to ache your salivary glands, and tastes like Zeus and Hera made out with the best campfire ever: it’s only BBQ.

Now, regional BBQ is a touchy thing. I’m really not going to pretend I know. Kansas dry rubs versus St. Louis dry rubs. Carolina vinegar wet. Texas, between north-west and south. Whatever is going on in Nebraska.

But Matty Waterson. This is a man who knows his meat.

Matt is an ex-pat in China. The story is always similar [sorry Matty]. Foreigner comes to China to be a teacher. Gets paid that pale skin premium. Stays for the money and especially in Shanghai, the opportunity. [History! Not English!]. He found plenty of success building educational programs and training teachers and students to achieve higher in education.

On the side, he took a few chances. I think in a story that reflects very similarly a lot of places; Matty found the initiative and drive to make his hobby into a viable business.

Anyone knows that Grillmaster at a party is an earned titled. It might fall to the host first; but it is picked up by the guy [or girl] who cares enough to know wtf they’re doing. Hot zones. Warm zones. Time management.

Some people find the title fits well. They host a few more parties. Try their hand at getting some more meats at the table. Maybe workshop an item or two; custom burger, pulled pork recipe.

That’s as far as a lot of people go. Backyard barbecues and feeding like 20 at an Independence day party that got closed out from the public grills so you have to pan fry burgers and dogs in your apartment before fireworks in the park.

Enter Matt. He’s an old hand at Food and Beverage. Waiter, management, and bartender. [Like AOC! So relatable. Like and retweet!] Those skills and experience lend him to take the Grillmaster title further.

Plus growing and living in Kansas City, Kansas, and KC, Missouri. [Pronounced Misery, ha-ha]

The things have come together. A humble collection of necessities; grill, griddle, smoker, fryer, fridge that holds a chilled bottle of Jameson. [Oh look. Homemade pickle brine…]

Out of a weird collection of events, Matty Waterson has made a workable process!

But here’s the great thing.

The food is good. Really good. The brisket comes with a homemade American cheese sauce; adding just this great tang and texture to the meat. It’s smoky and juicy, great stretch and bite. The rub is fairly straightforward, so the taste highlights the meat and it’s cooking process. Jammy grilled onions. Brioche bun to boot. Leading to an umami packed bite. Absolutely delicious.

His homemade barbecue sauce is tangy vinegar based. The special sauce is creamy and sweet.

The pulled pork is fantastic. Soft yet textured. Fatty and meaty. Dab of the bbq sauce.

The ribs have a sweet vinegar basin. I like that the sauce doesn’t overpower the meat; that overly sticky basting that sometimes happens to BBQ ribs. It’s got a great cook, just sticking to the bone. Very rewarding to gnaw on. There’s a flame touched crust that gives great char and crunch.

The sausages are custom made; imported pork but stuffed in China. Matty is having fun experimenting with different tastes. Bacon wrapped. Cheese stuffed. The casing is snappy and delicious. The bacon is crispy from a special vendor in China.

We also tried the portabella mushroom burger. Now I’m a sucker for a stuffed mushroom; but the burger is fantastic. Crispy breading. The shrooms stems and herbs are blitzed and made into filling. Also always nice to include a few vegetarian options especially as Shanghai has a bustling vegetarian scene.

The venue is amazing too. Juju has a good rooftop in a little plaza. The décor is fun and intimate, making for a great space for big parties, and seating for couples. Plenty of Instagram shots. The vibe was cool; a great collection of expats and locals to make for a good mix of population.

I’ll be honest. Wait staff could be more efficient. I think there are some growing pains with it’s popularity that needs some fixing. A couple of cultural changes.

He’s moved on to another space.

Matt continues to expand his horizons, focusing on scalability while maintaining quality. That looks like more prep, tighter inventory, integrating with new partners and reaffirming old ones. He has more opportunities for service in more venues as well as one-off events.

As his opportunities grow, so does his experience and his willingness to take new chances; on the menu and in his space.

He also looks clean in his new apron. Really makes the part.

The most damning evidence of my sincerity, Tony, might be that I visited twice within the week. I couldn’t get enough of the brisket and I sincerely enjoyed every bite. It tasted like home; and I was sorely missing it.

I went back to Shanghai later, and visited as he worked a BBQ competition in the Shanghai Sam Club’s parking lot. An event that had been going for 7+ years. He camped overnight to smoke his brisket and took home 7 of the 9 prizes including best-in-class and best overall.

I wish him the best of luck! And look forward to eating there again! And again. And again.